Connection between Avandia and heart attacks prompts FDA alert

Recent studies have indicated that there may be a link to Avandia and as much as a 43% increase in heart attack risk. More than 6 million people worldwide have taken the drug, whose U.S. sales topped $2.2 billion last year.

If you are one of the 6 million that have taken Avandia, you may have a claim. Contact us today and let us go to work for you.

Avandia and Heart Attacks

As many as 100,000 heart attacks may be linked to Avandia, according to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) in a floor statement placed in the Senate record on May 24, 2007.

Avandia, sold by the British company GlaxoSmithKline PLC, is a blockbuster medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. More than 6 million people worldwide have taken the drug, whose U.S. sales topped $2.2 billion last year.

Analysis led by Cleveland Clinic cardiology chief Dr. Steven Nissen of 42 separate studies on Avandia concluded that it raised the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent, compared to the rates among people taking no or other diabetes drugs. The analysis also indicated that Avandia might increase the risk of heart-related deaths.

Any increase in heart attack risk is especially worrisome for diabetics because two-thirds of them die of heart problems.

About 1 million Americans are currently taking Avandia, which costs from $90 to $170 for a one-month supply.

The FDA and diabetes experts are advising users of Avandia to talk to their doctors and not to immediately discontinue the drug.

If you or a loved one have suffered serious side effects while taking Avandia, if you have been diagnosed with blood clots, heart attack, or stroke, or if you are experiencing the symptoms associated with any of these serious side effects, you may have a claim against the manufacturer of Avandia.

Please contact us today by filling out the brief questionnaire, or by calling our toll free number (1-800-898-2034) for a free, no-cost no-obligation evaluation of your case.

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Avandia Timeline

February 2007 - GSK advises doctors that clinical trials found a “significantly” higher risk of bone fracture in women

May 2007 - Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic published Avandia study in The New England Journal of Medicine that raises the possibility that Avandia increases users' heart attack risk. The FDA issues an Avandia "safety alert"

November 2007 - The FDA adds "black box" warning to Avandia

February 2010 - The Senate Finance Committee reports that GSK knew of possible heart risks linked to Avandia "years before such evidence became public"

More Avandia Info

Avandia also known generically as Rosiglitazone

After November 18, 2011, only patients enrolled in the Avandia-Rosiglitazone Medicines Access Program may obtain and use rosiglitazone-containing products

Promptly talk with your doctor or pharmacist about the benefits and possible risks of this medication, even if you have been taking it for awhile, especially if you have heart problems. Do not stop taking it unless directed to do so.

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